It’s hard to imagine your grandmother’s little teacup Yorkie hunting down an elk however many generations ago. A new study was done by researchers at UCLA actually found that by comparing DNA, the gene for small body size found in tinier breeds actually better matches the gray wolf population in the Middle East and the surrounding area. This suggests that small domestic dogs arose there several thousand years ago, after the first wild wolves were being tamed. Whether you share your home with the cousin of a wolf or a feisty pocket dog, you won’t want to miss this list of 25 of the world’s tiniest dog breeds. The original Whippets were thought to be English Greyhounds that were too small for hunting. They were returned to their owners and later bred to make a smaller hunting dog to chase rats. They were also known as Gypsy dogs, as the Romani people used them to hunt. The fun on the head of the terrier is purposefully shorn to be rounded, causing the dog to resemble a sheep. Like the Shetland pony and Shetland sheep, this breed is diminutive but hardy, made to thrive in the rough environment of its native island. The original Shetland sheepdog was a spitz dog, and was eventually refined into its smaller size through a cross with spaniels and terriers. Though the current name likely stems from their use as ratters on Chinese ships, it is believed that the breed actually shares origins with the Mexican Hairless Dog the Xolo. One famous Chinese Crested Dog, Sam, was the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest from 2003 to 2005. Though its origins are unclear, we know it to be a cross between German Pinscher and Italian Greyhound. Both are descended from northern spitz-type dogs like huskies. Although the Pembroke is the younger of the two Welsh Corgi breeds, it was made famous by Queen Elizabeth II, who had more than 30 during her reign. Tiziano Vicelli painted these dogs in many famous paintings in the 1500s, including Venus of Urbino. A Papillon is even clearly shown in a portrait of Louis XIV and his family. The first recorded Miniature Schnauzer was a black female named Findel in 1888. She appeared in the first edition of the Pinscher-Schnauzer Klub’s exhibition book. Interestingly, cairn terriers are predominately left paw dominate, which has been shown in dogs to correlate to high performance in scent-related tasks. Descending down into the Mastiff and then the bulldog, the French Bulldog finally came about through a crossbreeding with the English terriers. Though its origins are unclear, it is thought that the Shih Tzu is a cross between the Pekingese and the Lhaso Apso, a Tibetan dog given by the Dalai Lama to the Chinese emperor in the 17th century. Though it is classified as a toy dog, it derives from the large German Spitz breed. Though its ancestors were working dogs from the Arctic regions, the modern breed is refined for little more than the show. They find their origins in Mexico and are thought to be descendants from the Techichi, a companion dog of the Toltec tribe in Mexico. Modern genetics shows us that there is very little pre-European genetics in today’s Chihuahua, however, suggesting that interbreeding with European dogs has left little of its ancient ancestral lineage. There is evidence that supports the Dachshund originated in Eygpt, with recent discoveries by the American University of Cairo finding mummified dachshund-like dogs. The modern short-hair dachshund, however, is a cross somewhere between a German Shorthaired Pointer, a Pinscher, and a bloodhound. Recent DNA comparisons showed that the Pekingese is one of the oldest dog breeds, and also one of the least genetically diverged from the wolf. They found their way to Europe in the 16th century, and in the 19th century, Queen Victoria developed a passion for pugs that she apparently passed down to other members of the royal family. Historians believe that the Blanquito was bred with other Bichon types to refine what is now known as the Havanese. They are famous for their long, fine fur and are sometimes referred to as Havana Silk Dogs. They were brought to fame by their association with King Charles II of Great Britain and Ireland and have been affiliated with royalty since the time of Queen Mary I. The King Charles Spaniel was originally crossbred with the Pug to reduce the size of its nose, as was the preferred style of the time. Some believe the dog’s ancestors to have been the Tibetan Terrier from Asia, and that it found its way through the Middle East and Europe with the migration of nomadic tribes. The original dogs that started the breed are a bit of a mystery, but it is thought that they come primarily from dogs brought over with Scottish workers looking for jobs in England. The bichon type arose from water dogs, like poodles and spaniels. Today, the Bichon has been categorized by four types: the Bichon Frise, the Maltese, the Havanese, and Bolognaise.
